The Mesmerist: The Society Doctor Who Held Victorian London Spellbound
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Medicine, in the early 1800s, was a brutal business. Operations were performed without anaesthesia while conventional treatment relied on leeches, cupping and toxic potions. The most surgeons could offer by way of pain relief was a large swig of brandy.
Onto this scene came John Elliotson, the dazzling new hope of the medical world. Charismatic and ambitious, Elliotson was determined to transform medicine from a hodge-podge of archaic remedies into a practice informed by the latest science. In this aim he was backed by Thomas Wakley, founder of the new magazine, the Lancet, and a campaigner against corruption and malpractice.
Then, in the summer of 1837, a French visitor – the self-styled Baron Jules Denis Dupotet – arrived in London to promote an exotic new idea: mesmerism. The mesmerism mania would take the nation by storm but would ultimately split the two friends, and the medical world, asunder – throwing into focus fundamental questions about the fine line between medicine and quackery, between science and superstition.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Weidenfeld & Nicholson (27 April 2017) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 320 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1474602290 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1474602297 |
| Dimensions | 16 x 2.9 x 23.8 cm |
by Sarah H.
A fantastic review of the historical context of hypnosis as to why and how human nature gets in the way of progress and enlightenment! After reading this, perhaps there more enlightened amongst us will be able to recognise the science and evidence base as to why hypnoTHERAPY rather than showmanship has the potential for vast benefits, and should be harnessed for the greater good, as it would save so much suffering both within a medical context and far beyond.
by Jules
A fascinating history of the medical world in 1800s London, based around the concept of mesmerism and the life and times of its chief practitioner and champion, John Elliotson. The book also examines the fine lines between scientific fact and fantasy, medical advancement and charlatanism.
While for me the book spends a little too much time on the specific antics of the experiments (and the subjects of these), this is a highly engrossing and engaging read – filled with colourful characters, a major Victorian scandal, bitter rivalries and sanctimonious bigots. Cracking stuff.
Also explaining with great background, the origination of some of our finest institutions, this is an enjoyable, almost novel-esque piece of writing which serves up a delicious and curious slice of history.
by Amazon Customer
Very interesting but perhaps a little too long in parts but painted a very interesting picture of medicine at the time and the state of Victorian medicine
by Kenneth Barrett
To have been ill during the 19th century would have been an extremely worrying prospect, especially as your doctor was quite likely to have made you worse.
Bleeding the patient through cutting a vein or applying leeches was a panacea for many ills, despite the obvious fact that blood loss weakened the body. Swallowing quack medicines either did no good, or they poisoned you. Your doctor’s unclean hands might well have given you a secondary infection. And if you needed surgery, you had better hope that the restraining ropes held you securely to the table, because there was no anaesthetic to relieve the pain of the knife.
Mesmerism appeared to cure many afflictions, it induced a trance-like state in which pain could not be felt, and it gave some under its spell an ability to do things that would have normally been impossible to them. John Elliotson, a young and progressive doctor, discovered mesmerism and promoted it obsessively. Elliotson’s problems soon began to gather. The medical profession, jealous and block-headed, ridiculed him. And Elliotson became in some ways his own worst enemy, diverging into absurd theories as to why and how mesmerism worked, and becoming an increasingly ridiculous showman.
We still don’t really know how mesmerism, or hypnotism as we now call it, works. But it does work. Wendy Moore provides a fascinating account of Victorian-era medicine and some of the characters who peopled the profession. She describes the rise of medical journalism, the founding of modern medical schools, and the discoveries that led to anaesthetics. The curious case of the Okey girls, Elliotson’s most successful subjects, is presented with its inexplicable qualities.
The text of this book is rather lengthy, but the story is such an engrossing one and its different strands are woven so skilfully that the reader is drawn onwards, almost in a trance, to see what happens next. I learned much.
by Lauri Sim
This is an absolutely fascinating story. It puts forward a really interesting case for alternative treatment and how power to patients and their spiritual needs as well as their physical is remarkable. One has to admire how Ellisson was so dedicated to proving his case in the face of accusations, and it is hard to tell the extent to which he was aware of the folie a, well, trois he was embroiled in by his own die hard convictions. It is truly brilliant and an interesting tale, beautifully written.
by Client d’Amazon
Not a patch on some of her other work. I think she tried to cover too much ground and include too many characters.
by E. Ward Thomas
Excellent resource for anyone interested in the history of English medical knowledge. Well researched and very detailed..
by Yorkielyn
Fascinating book about the early days of hypnotism and anaesthetics. Lots of links to The Middlesex Hospital and University College Hospital.